Abstract
The improvement of fuel efficiency is one of the most important issues in the R&D of powertrain systems. This paper describes a new concept for measuring fuel consumption in real-time, “exhaust flow-AFR method”, which utilizing raw exhaust gas flow rate and exhaust air-to-fuel ratio (AFR). An ultrasonic exhaust flow meter which can measure a wide flow range with no pressure loss, and a fast response zirconia sensor which can be installed onto the exhaust pipe directly were adopted. The exhaust flow-AFR method showed a good correlation with the carbon balance method as a reference under some test conditions. The method also showed short rise/down time and the measurement result of “zero” during fuel cutting as expected.
